Fastener with freely rotating cover

ABSTRACT

A fastener comprises a cover, a head, a threaded shaft, and a snap ring, the fastener being adapted to secure a valuable item to a support. The snap ring is received within a cover groove and a head groove, so that a portion of the snap ring is received in both of the cover groove and the head groove, and the cover is locked in place over the head, the cover being free to rotate relative to the head.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates generally to tamper proof locks andfittings and more particularly to tamper proof service bolts forprotecting valuable items.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Often it is necessary to attach valuable items to outdoor equipment.When left unattended, thieves may attempt to remove the valuable itemsfrom the outdoor equipment. When the best and only way to attach thevaluable equipment to the outdoor equipment is with a bolt or nut, it isrelatively easy for the bolt or nut to be removed and the valuable itemremoved from the outdoor equipment. For example, a valuable compressedair connector is often attached to a train car by attaching with a boltthe compressed air connector to a plate extending from the train car.

What is needed is a way to attach the valuable item to the plate so thatit cannot be easily removed from the plate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed is a fastener comprises a cover, a head, a threaded shaft, anda snap ring, the fastener being adapted to secure a valuable item to asupport. The snap ring is received within a cover groove and a headgroove, so that a portion of the snap ring is received in both of thecover groove and the head groove, and the cover is locked in place overthe head, the cover being free to rotate relative to the head.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a fastener cover according to thisdisclosure.

FIG. 2 is in end view of the cover shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a partial side view of a threaded shaft with a nut accordingto this disclosure passing through a hole in a valuable item and aplate.

FIG. 4 is an end view of a fastener head shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a snap ring according to this disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a partial side view of the cover over the nut, with the snapring received in both a cover groove and a nut groove.

Before one embodiment of the disclosure is explained in detail, it is tobe understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application tothe details of the construction and the arrangements of components setforth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Thedisclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced orbeing carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that thephraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. Use of “including”and “comprising” and variations thereof as used herein is meant toencompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well asadditional items. Use of “consisting of” and variations thereof as usedherein is meant to encompass only the items listed thereafter andequivalents thereof. Further, it is to be understood that such terms as“forward”, “rearward”, “left”, “right”, “upward”, “downward”, “side”,“top” and “bottom”, etc., are words of convenience and are not to beconstrued as limiting terms.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As illustrated in FIGS. 1-6, a fastener 10 comprises a cover 14, a head18, a threaded shaft 22, and a snap ring 26. The fastener 10 is adaptedto secure a valuable item 30 to a support 34, such as a plate, both thevaluable item and the support having a hole 36 there through. In someembodiments, the valuable item 30 is an air compressor for attachment toa rail car. In other embodiments, the valuable item can be anything ofvalue, including a another plate, the two plates being held together bythe fastener 10 to protect valuable items accessible by separating theplates, like when the plates hold closed a door to a storage area.

The cover 14 has an elongated axis 40, with an open cover end 44, and aclosed cover end 46. In other embodiments (not shown), both ends may beopen. The cover 14 also has an inside surface 48. The majority of thecover outside and surfaces are round. The inside surface 48 of the cover14 also has an annular groove 52 extending at least partially around thecover inside surface 48, generally perpendicular to the cover elongatedaxis 40.

The head 18 is either a bolt head or a threaded nut, with an elongatedcentral axis 56. The outside surface 60 of the head 18 has radiallyoutward extending points 62 or extensions that are adapted to aid in theturning of the head 18 by being capable of being engaged by hand or withthe use of a tool (not shown). In some other embodiments (not shown),the head outer surface may alternatively be knurled to aid in theturning of the head 18.

In the illustrated embodiment, the head 18 has at least eight flatstherein so that the head 18 can be engaged by an appropriately sizedsocket wrench (not shown) adapted to turn the head 18. The head 18 alsohas a first head end 68 and second head end 72, with the first head end68 having a first diameter outer surface 76, increasing in diameter to asecond diameter 80 as the outer surface 60 extends away from the firsthead end 68, thereby forming a ramp 84 adapted to expand the snap ring26 as the snap ring 26 slides over the head 18, as explained below.

Further, the head 18 may or may not assist with turning the threadedshaft 22, as explained below.

The threaded shaft 22 is adapted to cooperate with the head 18, the headsecond end 72 being adapted to be secured to the threaded shaft 22. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the head 18 is in the form of a nut that hasa threaded opening 86 there through along the central axis 56 of thehead 18. In other embodiments (not shown), the head can be the head of abolt, attached to the threaded shaft. In the illustrated embodiment, themajority of the shaft is threaded. In other embodiments (not shown),only a portion of the shaft may be threaded for being received in a likethreaded opening (not shown) in the support or valuable item. In stillother embodiments (not shown), only the portion of the shaft receiving alike threaded nut may be threaded. For example, the threaded shaft maybe welded to a support, and the valuable item secured between the head18 and the support 34 by threading the nut on the threaded end of theshaft.

The threaded shaft 22 may be adapted to be turned to either be secured(not shown) in a like threaded opening, or held by another like threadednut, or may be secured to the support or valuable item by welding, forexample, or by the shaft having a bolt head on the end opposite the endof the shaft that receives the fastener head, or some other similarfeature.

The hole in the support 34 may be a blind hole, or a through hole 36.The threaded shaft 22 has a first shaft end 94 and a second shaft end96, and the shaft 22 can be secured in the hole at one or both ends (notshown), or by virtue of the threaded shaft being held (not shown) in alike threaded opening in either the support or the valuable item.

The head 18 also has a head groove 64 extending at least partiallyaround the outside surface 60 of the head 18. The head groove 64 isgenerally perpendicular to the longitudinal central axis 56 of the head18.

The snap ring 26 is annular, with the a first ring end 88 and a secondring end 92, with a space between the ends, as shown in FIG. 5. Thispermits the annular diameter of the snap ring 26 to be decreased(compressed) by having the ends brought together, such as when the snapring 26 is compressed to be placed inside the cover 14 to where the snapring 26 is aligned with the cover groove 52, and then expanded so thatit stays inside the cover groove 52. The snap ring diameter can also beincreased (expanded) by having the ends brought away from each other,such as when the snap ring 26 slides over the head 18, as furtherexplained below.

The snap ring 26 is received within the cover groove 52. Before thecover 14 is placed over the head 18, the snap ring 26 is retained in thecover groove 52 but the snap ring diameter is such that the snap ringdiameter can be increased further, when the cover 14 is slid over thehead 18, as explained below.

The cover groove 52 is spaced apart from the cover open end 44. With thesnap ring 26 received within the cover groove 52, and when the cover 14is slid over the head 18, the reduced diameter snap ring 26 firstengages the head outside surface ramp 84 at the first head end 68. Asthe cover 14 continues up the ramp 84, the snap ring 26 expands to whereit can be received within the head groove 64. After being received inthe head groove 64, the snap ring 26 returns to its smaller diametershape, but a portion of the snap ring 26 is still received within thecover groove 52. With the snap ring 26 thus received in both of thecover groove 52 and the head groove 64, as illustrated in FIG. 6, thecover 14 is locked in place over the head 18. And the cover 14 is freeto rotate relative to the head 18. Thus, rotating the cover 14 does notserve to move the threaded shaft 22 or the head 18 relative to the shaft22.

Expressed another way, since the cover 40 is round, the cover 40 turnsfreely on the head 18, and the cover 40 is over the head 18, a wrench orsocket (not shown) cannot be placed on the head 18 to cause the head 18to turn. This results in the prevention of the easy disassembly of thefastener 10 from its valuable item 30 attached to the support 34,thereby deterring the valuable item's theft. The cover 14 and head 18may be torched or cut off, but this process is much more difficult thanthe mere turning and removal of the head 18. Thus, this fastener detersthe theft of the valuable item 30.

Various other features of this disclosure are set forth in the followingclaims.

1. A fastener comprises a cover, a head, a threaded shaft, and a snapring, the fastener being adapted to secure a valuable item to a support,both the valuable item and the support having a hole there through, thecover having an longitudinal axis, with an open cover end, an insidesurface, and an annular cover groove extending at least partially aroundthe cover inside surface, generally perpendicular to the coverlongitudinal axis, the cover groove being spaced apart from the coverend, The head having an longitudinal central axis, an outside surfaceadapted to aid in the turning of the head, a head groove extending atleast partially around the outside surface of the head, the head groovebeing generally perpendicular to the longitudinal central axis of thehead, a first head end and a second head end, with the first head endhaving a first diameter, increasing in diameter to a second diameter asthe outer surface extends away from the first end, thereby forming aramp, the threaded shaft being adapted to cooperate with the head, thehead second end being adapted to be secured to the threaded shaft, andthe snap ring being annular, with a first ring end and a second ringend, with a space between the first and second ring ends so that thediameter of the snap ring can be decreased by having the first andsecond ring ends brought together, and the snap ring diameter can beincreased by having the first and second ring ends brought away fromeach other, the snap ring being adapted to be received within the covergroove, but with a portion of the snap ring extending radially inward ofthe cover inner surface so that the snap ring can be engaged by the nutramp and expanded, so that when the cover is slid over the head, thereduced diameter snap ring first engages the head outside surface rampat the first end of the head, and as the cover continues up the ramp,the ring expands to where it can be received within the head groove, andafter being received in the head groove, the snap ring returns to itssmaller diameter shape, so that a portion of the snap ring is receivedin both of the cover groove and the head groove, and the cover is lockedin place over the head, the cover being free to rotate relative to thehead.
 2. The fastener of claim 1 wherein the head is a threaded nutadapted to be threaded onto the threaded shaft.